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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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — a subject
  7. cue — a signal
  8. field — for sport
  9. rock — music
  10. rule — government
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — ground
  19. rule — a law
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — for catching
  23. cue — a hint
  24. field — farmland

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