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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. land — to come down
  3. court — of law
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — a permit
  6. land — ground
  7. court — for sport
  8. rule — government
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. swing — music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. swing — to play on
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — a law
  16. swing — in golf
  17. field — a subject
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — low music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. court — of a king

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