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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. field — a subject
  11. cap — a hat
  12. file — a tool
  13. charge — a price
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a line of people
  16. field — farmland
  17. file — a document
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wake — a trail
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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