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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bore — to drill
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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