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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · bound · swing · rest · leaves · mine · ruler · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — help
  4. rest — a break
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. court — for sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of a king
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. court — of law
  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