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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: fall · charge · hide · net · field · staff · cue · rush

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — for sport
  5. charge — a price
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — farmland
  8. net — for catching
  9. cue — for pool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. charge — electricity
  14. net — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fall — the season
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — a subject
  20. charge — in control
  21. staff — employees
  22. net — after costs
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — hurry

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