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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
468
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: fall · ball · saw · rule · roll · kick · band · mine

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. band — a music group
  3. rule — a law
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rule — government
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. roll — a list
  21. ball — a dance
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fall — the season
  24. kick — in football

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