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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: cabinet · rule · mark · clip · fork · suit · row · jam

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fork — in a road
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. suit — in cards
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. row — a line
  21. clip — for paper
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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