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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. field — for sport
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. capital — money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — a subject
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fall — the season
  13. cell — a phone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rock — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. capital — a city
  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