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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: bound · rule · season · bark · race · bat · bowl · cabinet

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rule — government
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. race — humankind
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rule — a law

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