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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. squash — to crush
  3. court — for sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. net — for catching
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — in sport
  22. squash — the sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. bass — low 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