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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: ruler · track · court · row · wake · safe · bat · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — a trail
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. track — a path
  8. row — a line
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. row — to paddle
  15. track — a song
  16. court — for sport
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hand — help
  24. safe — a strongbox

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