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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. drill — army training
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. field — farmland
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mug — to rob
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. court — of a king
  19. spell — letters
  20. court — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stand — on your feet

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