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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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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. kick — in football
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. court — for sport
  6. field — for sport
  7. rule — government
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — a match
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. march — the month
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. march — music
  17. field — farmland
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — low music
  20. rule — a law
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — the fish

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