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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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468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. band — a ring
  9. bat — the animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. rule — a law
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. board — a committee
  15. rule — government
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kick — in football
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. board — to get on

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