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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. spring — of water
  7. field — farmland
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mate — a friend
  10. field — for sport
  11. fine — all right
  12. tube — a container
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. field — a subject

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