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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rule — government
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — a box
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. game — a match
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. land — to come down
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — in football

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