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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kid — child
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — to tease
  11. content — happy
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mark — a trace
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spring — a coil
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. content — the amount
  24. prune — the fruit

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