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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rush — hurry
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stock — shares
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rule — government
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rule — a law
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to click
  16. kick — in football
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. squash — the sport

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