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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rule — a law
  11. capital — a city
  12. chair — a leader
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rule — government
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. field — a subject

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