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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. field — farmland
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rock — a stone
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hand — help
  12. kid — to tease
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rock — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — child
  20. field — for sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — a subject
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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