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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. field — a subject
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chair — a leader
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. land — a country
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chip — to eat
  14. charge — in control
  15. pit — a hole
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — for betting
  18. land — ground
  19. charge — a price
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. field — for sport
  24. land — to come down

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