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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.

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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: stick · mine · bark · row · saw · ruler · race · court

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. row — a line
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — to paddle
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. race — a contest
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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