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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. field — for sport
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fine — high quality
  5. file — a document
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. field — a subject
  9. file — a tool
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fine — all right
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. field — farmland
  24. cell — in biology

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