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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pound — a weight
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. spell — magic
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. kick — in football
  21. scale — in music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. field — for sport

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