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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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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 · spring · suit · bat · rush · pop · field · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. suit — clothes
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pop — soda
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — farmland
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. suit — to fit
  24. rush — hurry

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