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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — for sport
  7. march — music
  8. field — farmland
  9. rest — a break
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rest — what's left
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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