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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. field — for sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. last — to go on
  10. field — a subject
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — finally
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mark — a grade
  22. staff — employees
  23. field — farmland
  24. last — final

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