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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: cell · board · toast · rule · craft · cold

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. cell — a phone
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. craft — boats
  9. toast — bread
  10. board — to get on
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cold — the Cold War

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