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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. game — a match
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bear — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — a law

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