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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · saw · file · fan · hide · court · ruler · fall

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. saw — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. court — of a king
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fall — the season
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fall — to drop

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