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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: mouse · toast · rule · court · roll · chip · net · band

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. band — a ring
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. toast — bread
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rule — a law
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — after costs
  12. court — of law
  13. roll — a list
  14. chip — to eat
  15. net — for catching
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — in 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