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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: bear · cabinet · spell · court · temple · chest · pass · rule

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. court — of a king
  6. chest — of your body
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chest — a box
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — a permit
  13. court — of law
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rule — government
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bear — the animal
  24. court — for sport

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