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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: calf · hide · bound · spring · rule · cold · rock · ball

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rule — a law
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rock — music
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rock — a stone
  18. spring — of water
  19. ball — a dance
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. spring — the season
  23. rule — government
  24. ball — a great time

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