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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mate — to breed
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cold — an illness
  8. spell — magic
  9. stock — goods
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mate — a friend
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spell — letters
  22. field — a subject
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — shares

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