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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 120 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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chair — a leader
  4. court — for sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. court — of law
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. club — a group
  16. court — of a king
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chip — to eat
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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