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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — a company
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — the season
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. firm — steady
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. hand — in cards
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. firm — decided
  23. field — a subject
  24. spring — a coil

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