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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. spell — magic
  10. bank — for money
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. band — a ring
  13. net — after costs
  14. bank — for money
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. band — a music group
  20. field — farmland
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bank — of a river

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