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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. scale — in music
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — a subject
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spring — of water
  16. field — for sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — farmland
  19. rest — a break
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spring — the season
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. scale — size or range

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