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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: deal · racket · wax · court · mark · dip · rule · toast

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. court — for sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wax — to grow
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. court — of law
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. toast — bread
  16. mark — a grade
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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