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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: coach · mine · calf · ball · hide · fan · face · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. face — part of the head
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rule — government
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. face — to confront
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — to rule out

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