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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tube — a container
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kick — in football
  9. rest — what's left
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rest — what's left
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rest — a break
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chair — a leader

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