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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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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: saw · wake · rule · cabinet · land · deal · wound · sharp

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — ground
  7. sharp — clever
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. land — a country
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. land — to come down
  24. wake — before a funeral

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