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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. court — for sport
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ground — crushed
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. face — to confront
  13. file — a line of people
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of a king
  20. ground — a position
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. court — of law
  24. deal — an agreement

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