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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. object — a thing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. object — to protest
  8. spell — letters
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rule — a law
  12. bat — the animal
  13. object — an aim
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ball — a dance
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — a subject
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. field — farmland
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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