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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: rule · sharp · cabinet · march · bowl · foot · rash · fork

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rule — a law
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rash — hasty
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — a series
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fork — in a road

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