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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. charge — a price
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. charge — in control
  7. firm — a company
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. charge — electricity
  12. game — a match
  13. file — a document
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. field — a subject
  17. content — the amount
  18. game — wild animals
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. land — to come down
  21. content — happy
  22. field — farmland
  23. file — a tool
  24. land — ground

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