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

Word bank: court · field · ruler · hide · mate · pass · trunk · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pass — a permit
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mate — a friend
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. court — of a king
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — a subject
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. court — of law
  17. cell — a phone
  18. court — for sport
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. cell — in biology
  22. field — for sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hide — animal skin

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