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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rest · rule · scale · mouse · coach · bowl · land · net

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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 — a law
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rest — a break
  4. rule — government
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — ground
  7. net — for catching
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. net — after costs
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. land — to come down
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — to rule out
  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