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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · wave · staff · file · kick · kid

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. 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. staff — a stick
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kick — in football
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. file — a tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — to tease
  8. file — a line of people
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rule — government
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. file — a document
  15. kid — child
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — a law
  18. 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