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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. court — of law
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rule — a law
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. race — a contest
  9. hand — help
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. race — the arms race
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. tube — a container
  16. race — humankind
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rule — government
  19. court — for sport
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spell — letters
  23. court — of a king
  24. chair — a professorship

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