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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · staff · perch · capital · charge · mate · race · field

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. charge — in control
  3. mate — a partner
  4. perch — the fish
  5. race — a contest
  6. capital — a city
  7. race — humankind
  8. chest — of your body
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — for sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. capital — money
  13. race — the arms race
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chest — a box
  16. staff — employees
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. field — a subject
  19. charge — electricity
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mate — to breed
  22. field — farmland
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chest — of your body

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