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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: jam · charge · can · field · mate · hide · swing · fall

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. charge — a price
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mate — a friend
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mate — a partner
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mate — to breed
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. swing — music
  15. fall — the season
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — to play on
  24. can — to be able to

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