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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pit — a hole
  3. charge — a price
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. field — farmland
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — obliged
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. field — a subject
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — to rip
  16. land — ground
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. field — for sport
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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