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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fine — all right
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kid — child
  16. rule — a law
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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