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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: season · wind · cap · charge · field · race · content · leaves

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. charge — in control
  6. field — farmland
  7. cap — of ice
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. charge — a price
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. charge — electricity
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. content — happy
  18. wind — moving air
  19. race — humankind
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cap — a lid
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. season — of the year
  24. content — the amount

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