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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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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: field · club · pitcher · mine · kick · ruler · rest · rush

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. club — for golf
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kick — in football
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rush — hurry
  17. club — a group
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rest — a break
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rest — what's left

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