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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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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: nail · ruler · track · lie · bat · straw · cue · field

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bat — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. field — a subject
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cue — a hint
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. track — to keep track

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