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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. board — a committee
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bound — tied together
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — a subject
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. march — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bound — certain
  19. field — for sport
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — farmland

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