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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. swing — in golf
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. swing — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fall — the season
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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