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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. court — for sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rest — a break
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mark — a trace
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lean — thin
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. spring — the season
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lean — to bend
  23. court — of a king
  24. mark — to pay attention

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