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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rule — a law
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. track — a path
  7. bore — to tire
  8. track — to keep track
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. court — for sport
  16. last — finally
  17. snap — to click
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. track — a song
  22. rule — government
  23. court — of a king
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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