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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · land · ruler · toast · field · stand · jam · fine

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fine — all right
  6. land — a country
  7. toast — bread
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. field — for sport
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. land — to come down
  14. stand — to bear
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fine — high quality
  19. field — farmland
  20. land — ground
  21. field — a subject
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. jam — in traffic

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