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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — government
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — a subject
  6. staff — a stick
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to tire
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fall — the season
  14. rule — a law
  15. toast — bread
  16. firm — steady
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bore — to drill
  23. field — farmland
  24. firm — decided

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