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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — farmland
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — letters
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — an injury

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