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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. race — a contest
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fork — in a road
  6. can — a tin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. field — for sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stand — to bear
  12. charge — in control
  13. chip — for betting
  14. can — a tin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. race — the arms race
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. race — humankind
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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