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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. field — farmland
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — part of the head
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. hand — help
  15. object — an aim
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bear — the animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hand — in cards
  22. object — to protest
  23. field — a subject
  24. cold — not warm

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