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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: ruler · dip · wake · rash · court · present · can · field

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. field — for sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. present — there
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rash — a series
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of law
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. present — a gift
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of a king
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. field — a subject

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