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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. field — for sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. band — a ring
  7. chair — a leader
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. field — a subject
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rule — government
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rule — a law
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. season — to add flavour

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