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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — in control
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. field — for sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. court — of law
  9. charge — a price
  10. rule — a law
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mate — a friend
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — a subject
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. charge — electricity
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rule — government
  22. can — a tin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rule — to rule out

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