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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: straw · deal · bark · firm · current · ruler · land · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. firm — steady
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — to handle
  9. current — of water
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — to come down
  13. firm — a company
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. land — a country
  16. current — electric
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. current — happening now
  19. land — ground
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. firm — decided

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