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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: court · nail · ruler · game · pitcher · shower · bulb · band

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bulb — for light
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. court — of law
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. band — a music group
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a match
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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