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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. charge — in control
  7. drill — a practice
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. court — of a king
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. drill — the tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. cap — a hat
  19. court — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. kick — in football
  23. court — of law
  24. charge — electricity

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