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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: court · chip · object · press · rule · file · shower · band

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. press — a publisher
  3. court — of law
  4. shower — to wash
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chip — to eat
  9. object — to protest
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. shower — rain
  13. band — a ring
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. press — newspapers
  20. file — a tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. press — to push
  23. chip — for betting
  24. file — a line of people

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