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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: bat · fall · firm · court · scale · mine · ruler · press

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. firm — a company
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. court — for sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. press — newspapers
  15. firm — decided
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — the season
  18. press — to push
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. firm — steady
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. press — a publisher
  23. court — of law
  24. fall — to drop

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