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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 · current · court · bark · pop · rush · rule · row

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. row — to paddle
  6. current — happening now
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rule — government
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pop — soda
  13. current — electric
  14. court — of a king
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pop — music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — a law
  20. court — of law
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. current — of water
  24. rush — to hurry

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