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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: fall · court · ruler · fine · track · clip · stand · ground

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. court — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a path
  5. ground — the earth
  6. track — a song
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — of law
  10. fall — the season
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fine — high quality
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fine — all right
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ruler — for measuring

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