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

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. snap — to click
  6. ground — a position
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. court — of law
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. court — for sport
  12. file — a document
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. file — a line of people
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rock — music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rock — a stone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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