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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — for sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — in music
  7. rule — a law
  8. scale — size or range
  9. field — farmland
  10. land — to come down
  11. snap — to click
  12. land — a country
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. land — ground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. branch — a division
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rule — government

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