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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: pound · toast · bat · race · ruler · lie · field · perch

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. field — a subject
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — farmland
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. race — humankind
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. race — a contest
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. field — for sport
  24. perch — the fish

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