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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. deal — to handle
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — magic
  11. shower — rain
  12. court — of a king
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — government
  23. court — for sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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