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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. charge — electricity
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. capital — a city
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bat — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. charge — in control
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. field — farmland
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. deal — to handle
  16. degree — an amount
  17. field — for sport
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. charge — a price
  20. degree — from a university
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. key — for a lock
  24. temple — a place of worship

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