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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a music group
  4. rule — government
  5. field — a subject
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rule — a law
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fall — the season
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. field — farmland
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cue — a hint
  19. field — for sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rule — to rule out

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