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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. toast — bread
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rule — government
  6. field — for sport
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. key — for a lock
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. key — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — for catching
  15. sharp — clever
  16. net — in sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rule — a law
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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