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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 · field · firm · row · press · bat · stand · stick

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. row — to paddle
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. firm — a company
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. firm — steady
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. press — to push
  14. field — a subject
  15. bat — the animal
  16. firm — decided
  17. field — for sport
  18. stand — to bear
  19. field — farmland
  20. row — a line
  21. charge — in control
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. charge — a price

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