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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. foot — a measure
  3. track — a path
  4. land — a country
  5. field — for sport
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. land — ground
  9. track — a song
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — in control
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. land — to come down
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. charge — electricity
  20. field — farmland
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. track — to keep track

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