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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. field — a subject
  3. pound — a weight
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. rule — government
  7. pit — in a race
  8. net — in sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — after costs
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. net — for catching
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. land — to come down
  20. field — farmland
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pound — to hit hard

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