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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. key — in music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — for sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bat — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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