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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bound — certain
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. field — farmland
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a face
  11. field — for sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. game — a match
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hand — help
  18. mate — to breed
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mate — a friend
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. field — a subject
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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