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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. field — for sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rule — a law
  12. field — farmland
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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