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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — a path
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — temperature
  14. court — of a king
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pitch — completely
  17. tear — to rip
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. track — a song
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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