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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: ball · rule · rock · present · leaves · bowl · mine · racket

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — there
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rule — a law
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. present — the time now
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rule — government
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ball — a dance
  24. racket — for tennis

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