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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. field — for sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. field — a subject
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bound — certain
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — farmland
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — obliged
  24. nail — for a hammer

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