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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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Word bank
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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: charge · degree · chair · cue · field · leaves · toast · patient

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. charge — in control
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cue — for pool
  14. degree — an amount
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — temperature
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. toast — bread
  20. field — farmland
  21. charge — electricity
  22. field — a subject
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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