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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. swing — in golf
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. object — a thing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — an aim
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cell — a phone
  11. swing — music
  12. season — in sport
  13. swing — to play on
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. season — of the year
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rule — government

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