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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.

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: row · cold · charge · mug · file · field · board · perch

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. board — to get on
  5. charge — electricity
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mug — to rob
  8. row — a line
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. charge — a price
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — a subject
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. charge — in control
  18. field — for sport
  19. cold — an illness
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a document
  22. perch — the fish
  23. field — farmland
  24. row — a quarrel

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