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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: bass · suit · lie · mine · scale · racket · bound · rule

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rule — government
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. scale — size or range
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rule — a law
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. suit — clothes
  12. lie — to recline
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. bound — certain
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mine — for digging

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