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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tear — to rip
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ground — crushed
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. key — the most important part
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — in music

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