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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rule — government
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. present — a gift
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — a law
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. snap — to click
  16. present — there
  17. kick — in football
  18. face — to confront
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. shower — rain
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rule — to rule out

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