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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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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: rule · cabinet · face · pitcher · court · spring · mug · cap

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mug — a face
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rule — government
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cap — of ice
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mug — a cup
  17. court — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — the season
  20. face — to confront
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — of water
  23. court — of a king
  24. cap — a lid

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