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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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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rule — government
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rule — a law
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. swing — to play on
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. capital — money
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. capital — a city
  21. swing — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kick — in football

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