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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pit — in a race
  4. field — for sport
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. field — a subject
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rule — government
  18. row — to paddle
  19. saw — the tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. field — farmland
  22. board — a committee
  23. pit — a hole
  24. row — a line

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