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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: court · rule · shower · board · mate · kid · cap · hide

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. court — for sport
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rule — government
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — to wash
  11. kid — to tease
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. board — a committee
  15. kid — child
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rule — a law
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mate — to breed
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — of a king
  23. mate — a friend
  24. hide — to keep secret

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