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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: toast · craft · charge · foot · field · hide · stick · clip

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — in control
  3. field — a subject
  4. clip — a video
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — for sport
  7. charge — electricity
  8. toast — bread
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — to cut
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. clip — for paper
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. craft — boats
  24. hide — animal skin

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