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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — a subject
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. saw — the tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. field — farmland
  17. bat — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. can — a tin
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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