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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 116 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: rule · spell · deal · cold · nail · hand · court · fan

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. court — of a king
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. spell — magic
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. court — of law
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rule — government
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — for sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rule — a law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spell — letters

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