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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. land — to come down
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. drill — the tool
  7. content — happy
  8. key — in music
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. game — a match
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. key — the most important part
  13. land — a country
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — wild animals
  16. field — a subject
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rule — a law
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. field — for sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — the amount
  24. land — ground

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