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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. row — a line
  3. court — for sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. current — electric
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. court — of a king
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bound — certain
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. current — of water
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. current — happening now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ruler — for measuring

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