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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. field — for sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. field — a subject
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. capital — a city
  19. field — farmland
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — a big letter

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