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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — in control
  3. fine — all right
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mine — for digging
  8. race — a contest
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. root — of a plant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. charge — a price
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bass — low music
  15. field — a subject
  16. race — humankind
  17. bass — the fish
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. root — of a word
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — for sport
  24. root — the cause

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