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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. face — to confront
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lean — to bend
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kick — in football
  16. lean — thin
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rule — government
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rule — a law
  24. rash — hasty

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