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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. club — a group
  4. court — for sport
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. court — of a king
  10. field — a subject
  11. content — happy
  12. rule — government
  13. swing — music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — of law
  17. field — farmland
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. plane — a tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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