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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. net — after costs
  6. drill — a practice
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rule — government
  10. march — the month
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — the month
  13. field — for sport
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. march — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rule — a law
  19. suit — in cards
  20. net — for catching
  21. suit — clothes
  22. drill — the tool
  23. suit — to fit
  24. drill — army training

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