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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — a subject
  4. club — for dancing
  5. field — farmland
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. firm — a company
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. firm — decided
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. land — a country
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — ground
  15. rule — a law
  16. firm — steady
  17. rule — government
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — for sport
  24. mate — a friend

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