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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. tube — a container
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a dance
  6. court — of a king
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. court — for sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. court — of law
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tube — the underground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. deal — to handle

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