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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: roll · mug · date · rest · ball · tear · rule · straw

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. date — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rule — a law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a dance
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rule — government
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rest — what's left
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a great time
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a list
  24. rest — a break

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