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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fall — the season
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. field — farmland
  7. snap — to click
  8. board — to get on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — child
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rule — government
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pit — a hole
  24. field — for sport

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