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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — tied together
  7. object — a thing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bound — certain
  13. pit — a hole
  14. court — of law
  15. pit — in a race
  16. court — of a king
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wind — moving air

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