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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. court — of law
  3. file — a document
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — the cause
  8. cold — an illness
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — for betting
  11. court — of a king
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — of a word
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — for sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. file — a tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cold — not warm
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cold — the Cold War

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