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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. court — of a king
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rash — hasty
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. court — for sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. prune — to trim

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