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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 116 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kick — in football
  8. march — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. fall — the season
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ruler — for measuring

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