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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — a subject
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. swing — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rule — a law
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fine — high quality

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