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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ruler · straw · bowl · root · march · fan · bound · sharp

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bound — obliged
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bound — certain
  17. root — the cause
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. root — of a plant
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a word
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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