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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bound — certain
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — obliged
  12. field — a subject
  13. dip — to sink
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bound — tied together
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fine — high quality
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fine — all right
  24. chip — for betting

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