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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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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: court · rule · fork · game · fall · deal · fine · straw

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. court — of law
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fine — all right
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a match
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rule — a law
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rule — government
  21. fall — the season
  22. court — of a king
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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