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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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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: tear · rule · row · bowl · bore · roll · ruler · court

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. court — of a king
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rule — government
  8. roll — a list
  9. tear — from crying
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tear — from crying
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. row — a line
  22. rule — a law
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rule — to rule out

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