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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · cell · rash · roll · lie · ball · land · temple

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — to come down
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rash — a series
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  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