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

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — in a road
  3. court — of law
  4. rule — a law
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. court — of a king
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. last — to go on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chest — of your body
  19. court — for sport
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. last — finally
  23. band — a music group
  24. rule — government

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