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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — a line
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rule — government
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. kick — in football
  19. wake — a trail
  20. row — to paddle
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rule — a law

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