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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. charge — electricity
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. field — farmland
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. capital — a city
  20. charge — a price
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — money

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