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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. race — humankind
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — music
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. field — farmland
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — a subject
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. race — a contest
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chip — for betting

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