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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: bowl · lash · tear · ball · rule · bound · face · swing

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. face — to confront
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bound — certain
  10. swing — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bound — obliged

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