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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. field — a subject
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rash — a series
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bore — to tire
  18. field — for sport
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. row — a line
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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