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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: field · chair · mouse · mine · ball · bore · race · ruler

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. race — humankind
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. race — a contest
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. field — for sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — farmland
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bore — to tire
  17. race — the arms race
  18. field — a subject
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chair — a leader

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