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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. kid — child
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bat — the animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rule — a law
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — for sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. court — of law
  21. rush — hurry
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. deal — an agreement

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