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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: jam · lean · rule · capital · track · face · charge · field

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. capital — a city
  3. face — to confront
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. capital — money
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. rule — a law
  12. lean — to bend
  13. face — part of the head
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. field — a subject
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rule — government
  22. lean — thin
  23. track — a song
  24. face — to point toward

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