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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: court · race · rule · wake · hide · deal

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. race — humankind
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. court — for sport
  10. rule — a law
  11. race — a contest
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — a trail
  14. court — of law
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of a king
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wake — before a funeral

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