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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. field — for sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — a subject
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — in cards
  9. charge — electricity
  10. game — wild animals
  11. march — the month
  12. field — farmland
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — music
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — to bear
  19. game — a match
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. hand — help
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stand — on your feet

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