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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. band — a music group
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chest — a box
  9. kick — in football
  10. deal — to handle
  11. land — a country
  12. rule — a law
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rule — government
  18. chest — of your body
  19. land — to come down
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. court — for sport
  22. land — ground
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — of a king

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