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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: cap · court · rule · chair · bound · mug · toast · mouse

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. toast — bread
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mug — to rob
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. mug — a cup
  13. court — of law
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rule — a law
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mug — a face
  21. court — of a king
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — for a computer

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