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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. field — farmland
  3. scale — in music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — to go on
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. last — finally
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — a subject
  12. rule — a law
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — final
  15. cell — a phone
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. field — for sport
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. rule — government
  24. tube — the underground

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