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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: court · object · dip · ruler · saw · present · root · cold

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. object — a thing
  4. root — of a word
  5. court — of law
  6. cold — not warm
  7. object — to protest
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — an illness
  13. saw — the tool
  14. present — there
  15. dip — to sink
  16. root — the cause
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. object — an aim
  19. court — for sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — of a king
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. root — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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