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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. shower — to wash
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. content — happy
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. content — the amount
  12. dip — to sink
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — rain
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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