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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. season — of the year
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spell — a short time
  7. court — of law
  8. band — a music group
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. spell — magic
  11. court — for sport
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — letters
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. season — in sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bowl — a dish

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