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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. charge — a price
  14. rock — a stone
  15. charge — in control
  16. court — of law
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — a series
  19. court — of a king
  20. suit — clothes
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rock — music

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