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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: net · charge · lean · rule · pit · sharp · field · mug

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. net — for catching
  3. lean — thin
  4. net — after costs
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pit — in a race
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pit — a hole
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mug — a cup
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mug — to rob
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. field — farmland
  18. rule — a law
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. field — a subject
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mug — a face
  24. net — in sport

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