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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: stick · bowl · rule · chair · chest · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rule — government
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chest — a box
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out

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