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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — all right
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. shower — rain
  6. snap — to click
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. game — a match

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