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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. field — a subject
  5. rule — government
  6. field — farmland
  7. snap — to click
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. rule — a law
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stand — for spectators

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