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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: game · cap · rule · leaves · bat · court · content · lean

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lean — thin
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — of a king
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rule — government
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. rule — a law
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. court — of law
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. game — wild animals
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. court — for sport

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