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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. field — a subject
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — letters
  8. charge — a price
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. last — final
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bulb — for light
  17. last — to go on
  18. spell — magic
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. charge — in control
  22. bulb — for light
  23. last — finally
  24. charge — electricity

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