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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — to bear
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. land — to come down
  10. rule — a law
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. last — final
  13. rule — government
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pop — to visit
  16. land — ground
  17. pop — music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. last — to go on
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. land — a country
  23. pop — soda
  24. last — finally

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