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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. game — a match
  3. field — a subject
  4. snap — to click
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rule — a law
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. board — to get on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — a committee
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rule — government

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