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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. fall — the season
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — government
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — a law
  11. mine — for digging
  12. track — a song
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. track — a path
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a friend
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — for sport
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mine — an explosive

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