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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. face — to point toward
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rule — a law
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — a subject
  11. face — to confront
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. field — farmland
  14. current — happening now
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — a face
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. current — electric
  21. rule — government
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — to crush
  24. current — of water

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