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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. kick — in football
  7. rule — government
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rest — a break
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. net — for catching
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. swing — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cell — a phone
  20. scale — in music
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. scale — size or range
  23. net — after costs
  24. cell — in a prison

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