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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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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: bound · object · kid · tear · pop · rule · racket · roll

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pop — soda
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rule — government
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pop — music
  9. object — to protest
  10. kid — to tease
  11. object — a thing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — an aim
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kid — child
  18. roll — a list
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rule — a law
  23. bound — certain
  24. racket — a loud noise

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