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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: rule · dip · mouse · date · rash · cabinet · pitcher · spring

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rule — a law
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — the fruit
  18. spring — a coil
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — to sink

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