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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: tube · squash · date · ground · ruler · last · court · roll

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. date — the fruit
  3. last — to go on
  4. tube — a container
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — of a king
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — the earth
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. ground — a position
  13. last — final
  14. roll — a list
  15. squash — the sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. court — of law
  19. last — finally
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. roll — a cake
  23. squash — to crush
  24. date — on the calendar

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