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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. field — for sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ground — crushed
  7. vault — a safe
  8. field — a subject
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rule — government
  11. stock — shares
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — a position
  14. stock — goods
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — farmland
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stock — a soup base

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