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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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. bear — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rock — music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — for golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — for sport
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mate — a partner
  20. field — a subject
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chair — a leader

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