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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. field — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — a subject
  17. rest — a break
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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