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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — humankind
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. swing — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cell — in biology
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cell — a phone
  22. court — of a king
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. court — of law

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