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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. court — for sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — a match
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kick — in football
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mine — for digging
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. face — to confront
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. face — part of the head
  24. game — a kind of play

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