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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bank — for money
  5. fall — the season
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bank — for money
  9. field — a subject
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — farmland
  21. plane — a tool
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. cold — not warm

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