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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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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: foot · rule · bowl · clip · racket · row · pound · scale

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — a weight
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rule — government
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. row — a line
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — a law
  24. scale — size or range

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