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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. snap — to click
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. field — farmland
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mug — a face
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — a cup
  15. field — for sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mug — to rob
  23. field — a subject
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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