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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: rock · drill · charge · cap · field · current · fall · kick

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. drill — army training
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rock — music
  5. field — farmland
  6. current — electric
  7. cap — a hat
  8. drill — the tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. kick — in football
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. current — of water
  15. rock — a stone
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — happening now
  19. charge — a price
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — a practice
  24. field — a subject

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