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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: ruler · ball · rush · bark · hide · fall · coach · pitcher

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fall — the season
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hide — animal skin

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