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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ground — a position
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mug — to rob
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. craft — a skill
  12. field — for sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rule — a law
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — a subject
  20. rule — government
  21. craft — boats
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. field — farmland
  24. mug — a cup

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