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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — farmland
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bank — for money
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — of a river
  14. field — a subject
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. drill — a practice
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. drill — army training

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