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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. spring — of water
  8. rule — government
  9. spring — the season
  10. rule — a law
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fine — all right
  15. bass — the fish
  16. field — for sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spring — a coil
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — low music
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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