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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. field — for sport
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — a break
  8. saw — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rule — a law
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — government
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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