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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. field — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kick — in football
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. field — a subject
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. craft — boats
  22. field — farmland
  23. squash — to crush
  24. craft — a skill

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