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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. last — to go on
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. court — of a king
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. court — of law
  16. foot — a measure
  17. court — for sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. season — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — finally
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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