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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. degree — from a university
  3. band — a music group
  4. field — for sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. band — a ring
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cap — of ice
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — certain
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. field — farmland
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. vault — a safe

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