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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rule — government
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. club — for golf
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bark — to shout
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — a subject
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fall — the season
  19. field — for sport
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — a law
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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