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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. field — a subject
  3. rule — a law
  4. land — ground
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rule — government
  9. rest — what's left
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — to come down
  12. mug — to rob
  13. clip — a video
  14. field — farmland
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. land — a country
  18. mug — a face
  19. clip — for paper
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. clip — to cut

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