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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: bowl · rule · march · saw · hide · court · kick · face

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — of law
  3. kick — in football
  4. face — to confront
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. court — of a king
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rule — a law
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. face — to point toward
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — government
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. court — for sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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