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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bound — certain
  3. object — to protest
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bat — the animal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bound — tied together
  12. field — a subject
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. field — farmland
  17. object — an aim
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. field — for sport
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. object — a thing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ruler — for measuring

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