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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. scale — in music
  3. rule — government
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. field — farmland
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rule — a law
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. file — a document
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. last — to go on
  16. field — for sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — finally
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. file — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. root — of a word

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