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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fall — the season
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. tear — to rip
  12. face — to confront
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ground — a position
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cue — for pool
  21. field — a subject
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cue — a hint
  24. field — for sport

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