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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. roll — a cake
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. field — a subject
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. game — a match
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — a cup
  22. roll — a list
  23. field — for sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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