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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. land — a country
  3. field — a subject
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rule — a law
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. field — farmland
  15. land — to come down
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rule — government
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. land — ground

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