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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: leaves · safe · chip · squash · march · rule · field · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — to crush
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. march — music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chip — for betting
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — farmland
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rule — government
  21. chip — to eat
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rule — to rule out

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