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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. race — humankind
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. race — a contest
  9. field — for sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spell — letters
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. field — farmland
  15. chair — a leader
  16. shower — rain
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ground — the earth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — a position
  24. patient — a sick person

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