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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: ball · date · rule · bat · roll · staff · ground · bear

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. roll — a list
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — the fruit
  8. staff — a stick
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. staff — employees
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rule — a law
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rule — government
  21. ground — crushed
  22. roll — a cake
  23. staff — employees
  24. ground — a position

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