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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. lean — to bend
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. court — for sport
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — thin
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. court — of law
  21. chest — a box
  22. field — farmland
  23. court — of a king
  24. bat — the animal

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