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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rule — a law
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rule — government
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. land — to come down
  7. lean — to bend
  8. land — a country
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — thin
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ground — the earth
  14. field — for sport
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. club — for golf
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bass — low music
  20. club — a group
  21. field — a subject
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. club — for dancing
  24. land — ground

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