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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. field — farmland
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — after costs
  8. rock — music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — for sport
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. hand — help
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — a subject
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. net — in sport
  23. rule — government
  24. hand — in cards

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