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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 · bay · field · clip · rule · lean · ball · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. charge — in control
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rule — a law
  18. charge — a price
  19. field — farmland
  20. ball — a dance
  21. field — a subject
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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