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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. spring — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rock — a stone
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. capital — money
  14. spring — a coil
  15. charge — a price
  16. spell — a short time
  17. capital — a city
  18. charge — in control
  19. field — a subject
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — the season
  22. rock — music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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