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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fork · cabinet · toast · rule · current · bulb · coach

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — help
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. current — electric
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hand — in cards
  14. toast — bread
  15. current — happening now
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. current — of water
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rule — government

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