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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rule — government
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. court — of a king
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — help
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. court — of law
  14. rule — a law
  15. tube — a container
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. hand — part of the body

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