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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pop — soda
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — a law
  10. court — of a king
  11. pop — music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. court — for sport
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — of law
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rest — a break
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rule — government
  24. season — of the year

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