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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · straw · field · plane · kick · sharp · rock · spell

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kick — in football
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spell — a short time
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spell — magic
  16. rock — a stone
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — letters
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. field — farmland
  21. sharp — clever
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rock — music
  24. plane — a tool

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