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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. firm — a company
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. firm — steady
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rule — a law
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. date — the fruit
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. field — farmland
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rule — government
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. firm — decided
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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