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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. spring — of water
  3. field — a subject
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spring — the season
  6. craft — a skill
  7. present — there
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — the time now
  14. craft — boats
  15. mate — to breed
  16. present — a gift
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spring — a coil
  21. field — for sport
  22. mate — a partner
  23. field — farmland
  24. mate — a friend

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