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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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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: kid · rule · leaves · racket · spring · rock · hide · bat

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — a law
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spring — of water
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rock — music
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kid — child
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. racket — for tennis

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