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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. land — to come down
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. kick — in football
  7. face — to confront
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. land — ground
  12. rule — government
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chair — a leader
  20. land — a country
  21. rule — a law
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chair — to sit 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