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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. field — for sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. field — a subject
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. field — farmland
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. nail — for a hammer

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