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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. field — farmland
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bound — tied together
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. bass — low music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mate — a friend
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. scale — in music
  19. rule — government
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bass — the fish

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