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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.

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: pitcher · ruler · court · wake · wound · kid · leaves · dip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. court — of a king
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wound — an injury
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wake — a trail
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. court — of law
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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