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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: court · swing · fan · ruler · shower · deal · pop · track

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. court — of law
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pop — to visit
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. track — a song
  10. swing — music
  11. pop — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — soda
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — for sport
  17. swing — in golf
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. swing — to play on
  21. shower — to wash
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. deal — to handle
  24. track — a path

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