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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — for sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. swing — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pop — to visit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pop — soda
  13. capital — a city
  14. field — a subject
  15. capital — money
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — to handle
  18. charge — in control
  19. pop — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. swing — in golf
  22. land — ground
  23. swing — to play on
  24. land — a country

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