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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
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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: rule · bowl · swing · pop · racket · rock · spell · kick

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rock — music
  4. pop — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rule — a law
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. swing — music
  12. rule — government
  13. spell — a short time
  14. swing — to play on
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. spell — magic
  21. pop — soda
  22. rock — a stone
  23. kick — in football
  24. rock — to move gently

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