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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. field — a subject
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — to go on
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. last — finally
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. board — a committee
  15. field — farmland
  16. mate — a partner
  17. last — final
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — a hole
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — government
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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