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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: prune · mark · net · court · bass · ruler · key · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. court — for sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bass — the fish
  7. key — in music
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. prune — to trim
  13. key — for a lock
  14. net — after costs
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — in sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — a trace
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of 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