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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: bound · last · ruler · stock · court · safe · pitcher · object

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stock — goods
  4. object — a thing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — obliged
  9. object — to protest
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — finally
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bound — certain
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. stock — shares
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. last — final
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — tied together

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