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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. field — farmland
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rule — government
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — a subject
  13. face — to confront
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rule — a law
  16. stand — to bear
  17. deal — to handle
  18. field — for sport
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. drill — army training
  24. deal — an agreement

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