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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. field — for sport
  3. pass — a permit
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. court — for sport
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. can — to be able to
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — not warm
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. court — of law
  16. cold — an illness
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. can — a tin
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. foot — a measure
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. court — of a king

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