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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 120 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: rule · fine · pop · chip · cold · mark · court · calf

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rule — government
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pop — soda
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rule — a law
  15. court — for sport
  16. fine — all right
  17. mark — a trace
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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