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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fine — all right
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. field — farmland
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — to grow
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fine — high quality

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