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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 124 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. field — for sport
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. spring — of water
  7. present — a gift
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cell — a phone
  11. spring — the season
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. present — there
  16. cell — in biology
  17. field — farmland
  18. mark — a trace
  19. present — the time now
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mark — a grade

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