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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — farmland
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. field — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mate — a partner
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wake — a trail
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bound — certain
  21. field — a subject
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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