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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 116 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — in biology
  7. field — farmland
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. field — for sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. field — a subject
  24. ruler — a monarch

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