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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. capital — money
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — to come down
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. field — for sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — of the year
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. field — farmland

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