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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · field · deal · pass · march · object · chair · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. rule — government
  7. pass — a permit
  8. march — the month
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. march — the month
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. object — an aim
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. object — a thing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chair — a leader
  20. field — farmland
  21. rule — a law
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. march — music
  24. field — a subject

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