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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
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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: file · court · tear · cabinet · date · mark · rule · season

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. file — a tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — in sport
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rule — government
  11. court — for sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rule — a law
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. date — the fruit
  22. file — a document
  23. court — of a king
  24. rule — to rule out

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