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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 · bat · bay · rule · court · spell · net · bowl

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rule — government
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spell — letters
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. court — of law
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. net — in sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. court — of a king
  22. spell — magic
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — a law

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