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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — farmland
  7. squash — to crush
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. lie — to recline
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. object — to protest
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. object — an aim
  20. field — a subject
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. object — a thing

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