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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: fine · date · stick · lie · charge · field · cap · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cap — of ice
  3. date — the fruit
  4. charge — a price
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — farmland
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — for sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cap — a hat
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. charge — in control
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — a subject
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fine — all right
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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