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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · fall · ruler · charge · stick · file

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. fall — to drop
  4. charge — in control
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. field — farmland
  7. file — a tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. charge — electricity
  12. file — a document
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. field — a subject
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. file — a line of people

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