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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: nail · mark · bowl · rest · rule · cabinet · mine · shower

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — rain
  14. mark — a grade
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rest — what's left
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bowl — to roll

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