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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. club — a group
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. toast — bread
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. field — for sport
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — farmland
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. bass — low music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. present — there
  17. charge — in control
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. land — a country
  20. field — a subject
  21. bass — the fish
  22. club — for golf
  23. land — to come down
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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