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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 · calf · court · root · bound · deal · hand

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bound — certain
  3. deal — to handle
  4. track — to keep track
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. root — of a word
  8. track — a path
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. track — a song
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. court — of law
  19. hand — help
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. root — the cause

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