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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.

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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: fine · mine · last · ruler · court · rock · lean · hand

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — to go on
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fine — high quality
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — finally
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lean — to bend
  20. last — final
  21. hand — help
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ruler — for measuring

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