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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 120 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: land · stand · club · bay · fine · capital · saw · field

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. club — for golf
  5. field — for sport
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. land — ground
  8. capital — money
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. capital — a city
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stand — to bear
  22. club — a group
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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