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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — money
  4. charge — electricity
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. field — for sport
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. charge — a price
  11. field — a subject
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tear — to rip
  14. capital — a city
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. field — farmland
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. deal — to handle

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