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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — for sport
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. court — of law
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — to keep track
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — of a king
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. track — a song
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — to turn a key

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