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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of a king
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tube — a container
  8. file — a tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — to come down
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. tube — the underground
  16. land — a country
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rush — hurry
  21. file — a document
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. game — a match
  24. land — ground

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