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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. kid — child
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. present — a gift
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mate — a partner
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — a friend
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mate — to breed
  22. field — for sport
  23. rule — government
  24. field — a subject

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