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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. last — final
  4. toast — bread
  5. land — to come down
  6. last — finally
  7. charge — a price
  8. land — ground
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. charge — electricity
  11. land — a country
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. last — to go on
  14. charge — in control
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. field — farmland
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. field — for sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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