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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — government
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — the sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. rule — a law
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rash — a series
  13. squash — to crush
  14. field — a subject
  15. roll — a list
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. field — farmland
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. board — a committee
  24. rash — on the skin

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