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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bear — the animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bear — the animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. club — for golf
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. leaves — lets stay

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