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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rule — government
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — a trail
  7. field — a subject
  8. track — a path
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. squash — to crush
  14. vault — a safe
  15. track — a song
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rule — a law
  18. pound — a weight
  19. field — farmland
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. field — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. tear — to rip

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