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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — tied together
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. board — a committee
  8. scale — size or range
  9. field — farmland
  10. bound — certain
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. bank — for money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — to get on
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. field — a subject
  22. rule — a law
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rule — to rule out

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