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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — part of the head
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — a price
  9. face — to confront
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. season — of the year
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — in sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — electricity
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — all right
  24. spring — of water

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