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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. field — farmland
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — a match
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stem — to come from
  11. field — for sport
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitcher — a jug

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