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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rule — government
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. root — of a word
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. root — of a plant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chair — a leader
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rule — a law
  22. snap — to click
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. calf — a young animal

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