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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 116 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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Word bank
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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. suit — to fit
  3. charge — in control
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kid — to tease
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cell — in biology
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. charge — a price
  15. fork — in a road
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. dip — to sink
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. kid — child
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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