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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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Word bank
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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: game · bay · rule · land · kid · bulb · mug · rush

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rule — a law
  7. mug — a face
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. land — a country
  12. rush — hurry
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — ground
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. land — to come down
  20. bulb — for light
  21. game — a match
  22. rule — government
  23. kid — to tease
  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