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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. land — to come down
  4. root — of a plant
  5. court — of law
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. land — a country
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — to get on
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. court — for sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. court — of a king

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