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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. charge — electricity
  3. field — farmland
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. present — a gift
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. present — the time now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — for a lock
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. charge — in control
  13. field — a subject
  14. present — there
  15. charge — a price
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music

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