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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 120 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 · pop · bear · field · cabinet · deal · bat · fork

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — soda
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. field — a subject
  10. rule — a law
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rule — government
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fork — in a road
  21. field — for sport
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rule — to rule out

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