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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. charge — a price
  4. field — farmland
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — a subject
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pound — a weight
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. charge — in control
  15. field — for sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fork — in a road
  18. game — a match
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. present — the time now

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