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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cell — a phone
  4. kick — in football
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rule — a law
  10. band — a ring
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bore — to drill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bore — to tire
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. charge — in control
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. plane — a tool
  20. charge — a price
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rule — government
  24. plane — an aircraft

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