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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rule — a law
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rule — government
  15. field — for sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. game — a match
  18. stand — to bear
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. field — farmland
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — a subject

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