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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: cabinet · content · object · rule · club · court

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. object — to protest
  3. rule — a law
  4. object — a thing
  5. court — for sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. court — of a king
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. object — an aim
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rule — government
  16. content — happy
  17. club — for dancing
  18. court — of 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