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

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. ground — a position
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. land — to come down
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — a safe
  12. band — a ring
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rule — government
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a music group
  19. field — farmland
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rule — a law

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