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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. field — for sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cap — a hat
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — tied together
  13. key — in music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. key — the most important part
  21. field — farmland
  22. bound — certain
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bound — obliged

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