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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rule — government
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. kick — in football
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bass — low music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — a series
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fork — a garden tool

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