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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a city
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. field — for sport
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. charge — in control
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — a series
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — a price
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — a subject
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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