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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — for sport
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. field — farmland
  7. rest — a break
  8. firm — decided
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — the fish
  11. capital — money
  12. firm — a company
  13. charge — a price
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — a cup
  16. charge — electricity
  17. field — a subject
  18. firm — steady
  19. mug — a face
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — a city
  22. charge — in control
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. perch — for a bird

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