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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: cold · mug · rule · court · craft · cabinet · squash · face

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rule — government
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mug — to rob
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rule — a law
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. craft — boats
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mug — a cup
  17. face — to confront
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — part of the head
  21. court — for sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mug — a face
  24. face — to point toward

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