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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · land · charge · swing · pitch · cabinet · mine · toast

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. land — ground
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. toast — bread
  10. land — to come down
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitch — completely
  14. charge — a price
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. charge — electricity
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — in control

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