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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 120 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: key · bowl · bark · rash · court · kid · leaves · rule

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. court — of law
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rash — a series
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — for sport
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kid — child
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. court — of a king
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rule — a law
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bark — to shout
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. key — in music

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