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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spell — letters
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. content — happy
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. last — finally
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — to go on
  18. field — for sport
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. last — final
  22. spell — magic
  23. field — farmland
  24. content — videos and posts

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