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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rule — government
  3. field — a subject
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. field — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — a division
  21. dip — to sink
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rule — a law
  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