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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. field — farmland
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. can — a tin
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — a country
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — for sport
  12. march — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. land — to come down
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. land — ground
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — an illness
  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