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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — of a king
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ground — a position
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. firm — decided
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — the tool
  21. firm — a company
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chest — a box
  24. court — of law

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