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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — the arms race
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — to paddle
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. race — a contest
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. row — a line
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. race — humankind
  16. court — for sport
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bore — to tire
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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