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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: court · leaves · pop · mouse · dip · file · kid · rule

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pop — soda
  10. file — a line of people
  11. court — of a king
  12. rule — a law
  13. pop — to visit
  14. kid — child
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. court — for sport
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rule — government
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. court — of law
  23. pop — music
  24. leaves — lets stay

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