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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. charge — electricity
  5. squash — to crush
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. staff — employees
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — a stick
  11. charge — a price
  12. field — farmland
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. staff — employees
  24. charge — in control

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