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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — a subject
  7. file — a document
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rest — a break
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lie — to recline
  18. field — farmland
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bark — to shout
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rest — what's left

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