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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: court · fall · saw · object · rule · nail · rash · ground

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. court — of a king
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rule — government
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. fall — the season
  12. rule — a law
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rash — a series
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — of law
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ground — crushed
  23. object — an aim
  24. fall — to drop

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