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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. game — a match
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. field — for sport
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. field — farmland
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. field — a subject
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rock — a stone
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — government
  15. game — wild animals
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rock — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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