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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — a subject
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rash — hasty
  5. firm — steady
  6. rash — a series
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. firm — a company
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rule — government
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — hurry
  15. face — to confront
  16. field — farmland
  17. face — part of the head
  18. firm — decided
  19. tube — a container
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. field — for sport
  24. rash — on the skin

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