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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: fan · court · sharp · ruler · bat · board · bound · file

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — for sport
  8. board — to get on
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. board — a committee
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. court — of a king
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — of law
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. file — a document
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fan — to cool the air

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