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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. squash — the sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. firm — steady
  7. rule — a law
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — to come down
  12. tube — the underground
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. squash — to crush
  17. spring — of water
  18. firm — decided
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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