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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — a law
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — farmland
  11. staff — a stick
  12. race — the arms race
  13. kick — in football
  14. rule — government
  15. race — a contest
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. staff — employees
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. race — humankind
  24. field — a subject

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