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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. field — a subject
  3. present — there
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rule — a law
  7. suit — clothes
  8. march — the month
  9. field — farmland
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. present — the time now
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rash — hasty
  16. march — music
  17. rule — government
  18. present — a gift
  19. squash — the sport
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rash — a series

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