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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. branch — a division
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — for sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — hasty
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitcher — a jug

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