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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. field — a subject
  5. root — of a word
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. last — to go on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. face — to point toward
  15. root — the cause
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. field — farmland
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. board — a committee
  20. field — for sport
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. face — part of the head
  23. board — to get on
  24. face — to confront

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