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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. object — to protest
  8. field — for sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rule — a law
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rule — government
  15. fall — to drop
  16. club — a group
  17. object — a thing
  18. bore — to tire
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. fall — the season
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bore — to drill
  24. field — farmland

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