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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — a country
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. land — to come down
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. object — a thing
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rule — government
  11. lean — thin
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — a law
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. land — ground
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. field — a subject
  22. tube — a container
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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