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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. field — farmland
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bat — the animal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rush — hurry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fork — in a road
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — a subject

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