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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: pound · rule · cabinet · wind · court · dip

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rule — a law
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rule — government
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pound — a weight
  15. court — of a king
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wind — to turn a key

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