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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — of water
  4. rock — a stone
  5. court — of law
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — for sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rock — music
  20. court — of a king
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spring — a coil

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