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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — farmland
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rule — government
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rule — a law
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — a subject
  24. pit — a hole

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