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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fall — the season
  5. chip — for betting
  6. band — a music group
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. land — a country
  9. field — for sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — to come down
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. squash — the sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — ground
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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