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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. club — for dancing
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. club — a group
  5. capital — money
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mate — a friend
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — the fish
  17. club — for golf
  18. charge — electricity
  19. roll — a list
  20. charge — a price
  21. capital — a city
  22. roll — a cake
  23. charge — in control
  24. foot — a measure

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