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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. last — to go on
  7. court — of a king
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — final
  11. court — for sport
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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