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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — for sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. charge — in control
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. field — a subject
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chip — for betting
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — shares
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mate — to breed
  14. root — the cause
  15. stock — goods
  16. field — farmland
  17. root — of a plant
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chip — to eat
  20. charge — a price
  21. root — of a word
  22. season — in sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. date — the fruit

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