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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. field — for sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. hand — help
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ball — a dance
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rule — a law
  24. lash — an eyelash

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