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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — a law
  3. staff — a stick
  4. board — to get on
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a document
  8. field — a subject
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — farmland
  13. plane — a tool
  14. content — happy
  15. staff — employees
  16. can — to be able to
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. file — a line of people
  20. can — a tin
  21. file — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. content — the amount
  24. board — a committee

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