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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — a subject
  5. tear — from crying
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — bread
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — to rip
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. field — farmland
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. march — music
  19. rule — a law
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. field — for sport
  23. march — the month
  24. rule — government

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