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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rule — a law
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. field — farmland
  7. rule — government
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chair — a leader
  11. field — for sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. capital — a city
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — in sport
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pound — a weight
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. capital — money
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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