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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — for sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. rule — a law
  11. field — a subject
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. row — to paddle
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — farmland
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. row — a line
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — employees

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