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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — for sport
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bear — the animal

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