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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — farmland
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mug — a face
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. present — there
  10. capital — money
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — the tool
  16. charge — electricity
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mug — a cup
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — for sport
  22. charge — in control
  23. game — a match
  24. charge — a price

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