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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. court — of a king
  5. rule — government
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — for sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. kick — in football
  17. swing — music
  18. rule — a law
  19. swing — to play on
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — music
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — with a leg

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