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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. field — farmland
  3. net — for catching
  4. charge — in control
  5. key — in music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chip — for betting
  10. field — a subject
  11. capital — a city
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chip — to eat
  14. net — after costs
  15. key — for a lock
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rash — a series
  18. staff — employees
  19. charge — a price
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — in sport
  22. charge — electricity
  23. capital — money
  24. staff — a stick

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