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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · court · bay · cabinet · game · rule · fall · branch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of a king
  4. fall — the season
  5. rule — government
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. court — for sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rule — a law
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — a division
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — of law
  22. game — a match
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. can — to be able to

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