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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. court — of a king
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. content — the amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. court — of law
  10. bound — obliged
  11. content — happy
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. court — for sport
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. drill — army training
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. bound — tied together

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