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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rule — a law
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chest — of your body
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — certain
  17. chest — a box
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mate — a friend

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