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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. suit — clothes
  3. net — after costs
  4. rule — a law
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. net — in sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. field — for sport
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — to crush
  15. field — a subject
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — for catching
  18. suit — in cards
  19. squash — the sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rule — government
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. squash — the vegetable

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