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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. court — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — to crush
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a ring
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — a path
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of law
  23. track — to keep track
  24. march — music

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