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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — electric
  6. field — farmland
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. field — a subject
  11. current — of water
  12. march — music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. current — happening now
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — a price
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. field — for sport

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