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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. toast — bread
  3. season — in sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — an aim
  10. rest — what's left
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. object — a thing
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. field — a subject
  16. rule — a law
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. season — of the year
  19. cell — a phone
  20. field — farmland
  21. cell — in biology
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — for 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