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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 124 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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — farmland
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. key — in music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — a subject
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wound — an injury

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