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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · clip · kick · charge · chair · field · swing · land

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. charge — in control
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. swing — to play on
  7. clip — to cut
  8. charge — electricity
  9. clip — a video
  10. land — a country
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — ground
  15. clip — for paper
  16. land — to come down
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. field — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kick — in football
  23. charge — a price
  24. kick — a thrill

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