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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rule — a law
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. net — in sport
  6. land — ground
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cue — a hint
  10. file — a line of people
  11. current — happening now
  12. net — after costs
  13. file — a document
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. land — to come down
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. file — a tool
  18. land — a country
  19. net — for catching
  20. rule — government
  21. cue — for pool
  22. current — of water
  23. cue — a signal
  24. current — electric

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