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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. race — humankind
  3. bass — the fish
  4. field — for sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. race — the arms race
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — a contest
  9. rule — government
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rule — a law
  12. bass — low music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — in a road
  22. field — a subject
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. safe — a strongbox

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