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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bulb — for light
  5. field — a subject
  6. rule — a law
  7. bulb — for light
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rule — government
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. tube — the underground
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. tube — a container
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. row — a line

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