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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — all right
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rule — government
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. present — a gift
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. court — of law
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. row — a line
  19. object — to protest
  20. present — there
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fine — high quality
  23. present — the time now
  24. rule — a law

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