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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. court — of a king
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ground — a position
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rock — a stone
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — of law
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lean — thin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — for sport
  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