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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — army training
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — farmland
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. file — a document
  15. fine — high quality
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. field — for sport
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. field — a subject
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fine — all right
  24. rush — a thrill

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