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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 124 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. field — for sport
  3. file — a document
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bound — obliged
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. file — a line of people
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — tied together
  16. root — the cause
  17. bound — certain
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. field — farmland
  21. court — for sport
  22. file — a tool
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a dish

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