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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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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: mate · field · snap · ruler · pitcher · last · nail · wave

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mate — a friend
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — for sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. last — final
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — a subject
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ruler — for measuring

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