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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rule — a law
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. fall — the season
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. fall — to drop
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rule — government
  24. temple — side of the head

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