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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · rule · roll · march · lean · ball · leaves · file

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ball — a great time
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. roll — a list
  8. file — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a document
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rule — a law
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lean — to bend
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. march — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rule — government
  24. roll — on a 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