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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. field — for sport
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. rule — government
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mark — a grade
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mark — a trace
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — a coil
  24. field — farmland

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