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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — a country
  3. field — for sport
  4. march — music
  5. charge — in control
  6. field — farmland
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. field — a subject
  9. pop — soda
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wax — to grow
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. charge — a price
  15. pop — to visit
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — the month
  18. suit — clothes
  19. sharp — clever
  20. land — ground
  21. pop — music
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wax — for sculpting

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