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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. charge — electricity
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. charge — in control
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wake — a trail
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — for sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kid — to tease
  20. field — a subject
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. field — farmland
  24. ruler — for measuring

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