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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — to go on
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. capital — a city
  8. field — for sport
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rock — music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. drill — a practice
  14. capital — money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. last — final
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pass — a permit
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — the tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. lie — to recline

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