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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: mine · rule · roll · pop · field · bowl · swing · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. swing — music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. field — a subject
  9. rule — a law
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pop — music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rule — government
  16. field — for sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. roll — a cake
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. roll — a list

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