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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. season — in sport
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. current — happening now
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — electric
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — a subject
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. current — of water
  24. field — for sport

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