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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 120 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 · cap · field · bore · stick · chest · cabinet · row

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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 — a price
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bore — to drill
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. row — a line
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a hat
  12. charge — in control
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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