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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. date — the fruit
  3. field — a subject
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. charge — in control
  7. season — of the year
  8. club — for dancing
  9. charge — electricity
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. club — a group
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. field — for sport
  14. club — for golf
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. charge — a price
  18. spell — a short time

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