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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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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: chest · fan · court · pound · cue · cabinet · rule · rash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — a series
  6. cue — for pool
  7. court — of law
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rule — a law
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rule — government
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pound — to hit hard

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