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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.

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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: sharp · court · bulb · arm · lash · ground · chest · ruler

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chest — a box
  13. ground — the earth
  14. court — of a king
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. chest — of your body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. court — for sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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