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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. court — of a king
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. spell — magic
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — of law
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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