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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: fine · straw · field · charge · chair · cell · pound · pass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. charge — in control
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cell — a phone
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — for sport
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — farmland
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chair — to sit on

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