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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. field — farmland
  8. race — a contest
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. field — a subject
  12. bore — to drill
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. race — the arms race
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bore — to tire
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. race — humankind
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. coach — a trainer

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