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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: spell · cap · cabinet · court · rule · game · deal · hand

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spell — letters
  6. court — of a king
  7. rule — a law
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hand — help
  12. cap — of ice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. court — for sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rule — government
  18. spell — magic
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — of law

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