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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.

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: pit · field · ruler · wind · land · spell · bound · dip

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — a country
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. land — to come down
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — to sink
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pit — a hole
  24. dip — to dunk

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