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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. present — the time now
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. field — a subject
  8. lie — to recline
  9. plane — a tool
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. present — a gift
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to click
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — not warm
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cold — an illness

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