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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. field — a subject
  3. present — a gift
  4. tube — the underground
  5. present — there
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. tube — a container
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. present — the time now
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. field — for sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. field — farmland

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