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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cell — in biology
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cell — a phone
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. game — a match
  16. can — a tin
  17. present — there
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. can — a tin
  23. present — the time now
  24. content — the amount

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