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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. season — of the year
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — in control
  6. field — farmland
  7. season — in sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. charge — electricity
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. capital — a city
  16. field — a subject
  17. staff — employees
  18. fall — the season
  19. field — for sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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