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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — a subject
  7. race — a contest
  8. cap — a lid
  9. race — humankind
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cap — a hat
  14. field — farmland
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bound — certain
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — for sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ruler — a monarch

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