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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bank — of a river
  7. rule — government
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — for sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. field — farmland
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — a subject
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cap — of ice

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