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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — ground
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. charge — in control
  7. land — to come down
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. dip — to sink
  14. charge — a price
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pitch — completely
  20. land — a country
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. field — for sport

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