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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. squash — to crush
  7. field — for sport
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. march — the month
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. march — music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. squash — the sport
  24. arm — a part of something

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