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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 120 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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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: court · ruler · mug · chest · rush · bound · deal · net

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. net — for catching
  3. chest — a box
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — a face
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mug — to rob
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mug — a cup
  22. net — in sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. court — for sport

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