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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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. ruler — a monarch
  4. suit — to fit
  5. spell — letters
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cold — not warm
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rash — a series
  13. season — of the year
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rash — hasty
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ruler — for measuring

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