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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mug — a face
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fall — the season
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — for sport
  20. mug — to rob
  21. swing — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — in 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