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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — farmland
  6. rule — government
  7. field — for sport
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. capital — money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. capital — a city
  16. field — a subject
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fall — the season

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