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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: file · arm · racket · ruler · court · wake · bass · cold

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — not warm
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. court — of a king
  12. file — a tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. file — a document
  15. wake — a trail
  16. file — a line of people
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bass — the fish
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — low music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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