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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. file — a line of people
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a document
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rule — government
  21. mug — a face
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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