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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. charge — a price
  4. branch — a division
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. field — farmland
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rash — a series
  11. field — a subject
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rock — music
  14. field — for sport
  15. charge — electricity
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. charge — in control
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rule — government
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rule — to rule out

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