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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. file — a tool
  12. rule — a law
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. file — a document
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rule — government
  17. field — a subject
  18. file — a line of people
  19. date — the fruit
  20. key — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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