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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 120 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: wake · mine · fall · rule · stick · row · spell · court

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. fall — the season
  6. mine — for digging
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wake — a trail
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. court — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rule — a law
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rule — government
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — magic

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