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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: cap · rule · board · rush · bowl · land · face · calf

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rule — a law
  3. land — to come down
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. face — to point toward
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. land — a country
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cap — of ice
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — government
  18. board — to get on
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. board — a committee
  22. cap — a hat
  23. face — to confront
  24. bowl — to roll

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