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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: land · craft · face · race · rule · bound · ball · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — a country
  4. rule — a law
  5. race — the arms race
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ball — a dance
  13. face — to point toward
  14. craft — boats
  15. race — humankind
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rule — government
  18. face — part of the head
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bound — certain
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. race — a contest
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — tied together

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