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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rule — a law
  5. field — a subject
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. swing — music
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. spring — a coil
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — in golf
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spring — the season
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. spring — of water
  22. field — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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