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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. field — farmland
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — a box
  6. rule — government
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — a subject
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rule — a law
  24. fall — the season

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