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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — of law
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to click
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — there
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — of a king
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. court — for sport
  21. bound — certain
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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