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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. race — humankind
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — the arms race
  14. shower — rain
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. race — a contest
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ruler — for measuring

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