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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: cold · rule · shower · stand · court · lie · chair · mouse

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. court — of law
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rule — government
  15. court — for sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rule — a law
  19. stand — to bear
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of a king
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chair — a leader

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