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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: cabinet · hand · rule · safe · kick · spring · deal · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rule — government
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rule — a law
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. court — of law
  10. kick — in football
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. court — of a king
  21. spring — of water
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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