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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 116 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: pop · ruler · court · last · craft · wake · bore · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. last — to go on
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. last — finally
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. pop — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. court — for sport
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bore — to tire
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — a match
  22. court — of law
  23. last — final
  24. bore — to drill

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