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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
468
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: ball · rash · pound · wake · spring · game · rule · cell

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pound — a weight
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — the season
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rule — a law
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rule — government
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. game — a match
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. spring — of water
  24. game — wild animals

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