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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — a law
  8. field — a subject
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. field — farmland
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. field — for sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stand — to bear

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