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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: rock · cabinet · fall · sharp · bound · land · ruler · court

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bound — certain
  4. land — a country
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rock — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — of law
  11. land — ground
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. court — of a king
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fall — to drop
  20. land — to come down
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fall — the season

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