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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spring — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chair — a leader

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