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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rest — a break
  4. charge — in control
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. charge — electricity
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — for sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rest — what's left
  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