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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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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 · lash · field · kick · game · staff · cell · perch

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. staff — employees
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — a subject
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. staff — a stick
  11. field — for sport
  12. cell — in biology
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ruler — a monarch

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