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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
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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: field · charge · court · perch · staff · mine · lie · tear

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. staff — employees
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — employees
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. field — farmland
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lie — to recline
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. charge — a price
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — the fish
  19. charge — electricity
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — of a king
  24. perch — for a bird

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