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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: rule · tear · spell · game · bat · stem · coach · ball

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rule — a law
  3. spell — letters
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rule — government
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spell — magic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stem — to come from
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ball — a great time
  24. tear — to rip

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