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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: wave · game · roll · can · field · bat · ruler · fork

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. fork — in a road
  10. roll — a cake
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. field — farmland
  17. can — to be able to
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. game — a match
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. roll — a list
  22. can — a tin
  23. game — wild animals
  24. can — a tin

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