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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — farmland
  4. land — ground
  5. charge — electricity
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. charge — in control
  9. field — a subject
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — a price
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. land — a country
  19. stand — to bear
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. field — for sport

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