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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. club — a group
  3. field — farmland
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. file — a line of people
  6. branch — a division
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. club — for golf
  9. field — a subject
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. deal — to handle
  23. file — a tool
  24. club — for dancing

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