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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: ruler · rash · club · root · last · calf · firm · court

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. firm — decided
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rash — a series
  9. firm — steady
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. club — a group
  13. last — finally
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. root — of a word
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. firm — a company
  18. root — the cause
  19. club — for golf
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. court — of law
  24. calf — a young animal

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