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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 120 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: hand · rule · bound · mug · hide · fork · craft · cabinet

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rule — government
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — help
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rule — a law
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bound — certain
  22. craft — boats
  23. fork — in a road
  24. hide — to keep secret

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