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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. charge — in control
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. field — farmland
  9. mate — to breed
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. charge — a price
  13. snap — to click
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lie — to recline
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tear — from crying
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mate — a partner
  21. key — in music
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com