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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · club · cabinet · cold · rule · ruler · pitcher · object

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. object — to protest
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cold — not warm
  9. object — a thing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — a group
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. object — an aim
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. club — for golf

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