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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: rush · cold · court · file · swing · cap · rule · band

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — of ice
  3. file — a document
  4. rule — government
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. court — of law
  10. cap — a hat
  11. band — a ring
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rule — a law
  17. cap — a lid
  18. band — a music group
  19. swing — to play on
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. swing — music
  24. file — a tool

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