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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 · bear · swing · hand · jam · track · court · rule

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — of law
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. swing — music
  8. court — for sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. track — a path
  12. swing — in golf
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — help
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rule — government
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. track — a song
  24. rule — a law

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