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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. land — ground
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. field — a subject
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. land — to come down
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. snap — to click
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. leaves — of a tree

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