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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. field — a subject
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. squash — the sport
  6. current — of water
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — for sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. spell — magic
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. field — farmland
  14. current — electric
  15. charge — in control
  16. stand — to bear
  17. current — happening now
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — letters

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