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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: rock · lean · pound · bat · face · rule · row · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. face — to confront
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rule — government
  11. lean — thin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rock — music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rule — a law
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pound — a weight

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