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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: racket · land · rule · rock · bank · kid · march · pit

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. march — the month
  3. land — to come down
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bank — of a river
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bank — for money
  8. land — ground
  9. bank — for money
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rock — music
  14. march — music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pit — in a race
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. land — a country
  20. pit — a hole
  21. march — the month
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rule — a law

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