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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: rash · firm · court · bound · mine · shower · pitch · ruler

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. court — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — certain
  20. firm — steady
  21. bound — obliged
  22. firm — a company
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — for digging

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