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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cell — a phone
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cell — in biology
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. stand — to bear
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — music
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. pop — soda
  13. dip — to sink
  14. roll — a list
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. saw — the tool
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. saw — the tool
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stand — on your feet
  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