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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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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: racket · bound · date · rock · tube · race · rule · hide

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tube — the underground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — obliged
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — tied together
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rock — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bound — certain
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rule — government
  24. tube — a container

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