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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rule — government
  4. field — farmland
  5. present — a gift
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — money
  8. rule — a law
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. field — a subject
  16. capital — a city
  17. present — there
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — the time now
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. prune — to trim

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