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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — finally
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. last — final
  13. court — for sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. court — of law
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rule — government
  21. row — a line
  22. field — a subject
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. last — to go on

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