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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: cue · court · land · rock · pitcher · trunk · ruler · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. court — of law
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cue — a signal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. land — a country
  15. court — for sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rock — a stone
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — to come down
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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