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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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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: pit · roll · rash · cell · hide · snap · charge · field

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. field — for sport
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. charge — in control
  14. snap — to click
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cell — in biology
  17. roll — a cake
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pit — a hole
  21. charge — a price
  22. field — farmland
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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