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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. roll — a cake
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. roll — a list
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. field — a subject
  13. dip — to sink
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. plane — a tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bulb — for light
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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