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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. key — in music
  3. field — farmland
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hand — help
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. charge — electricity
  8. field — a subject
  9. key — the most important part
  10. field — for sport
  11. race — the arms race
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. race — humankind
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. charge — in control
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — to handle
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. race — a contest

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