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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. current — electric
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mark — a trace
  11. current — happening now
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. current — of water
  19. bore — to tire
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. field — for sport
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bore — to drill
  24. field — farmland

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