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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: racket · rule · bound · roll · leaves · kick · face · row

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. face — to confront
  8. kick — in football
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rule — a law
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bound — tied together
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. roll — a list
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. row — a line
  21. rule — government
  22. bound — certain
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. face — to point toward

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