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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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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: hand · kick · rule · saw · snap · land · nail · march

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. march — the month
  9. land — ground
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. march — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. land — to come down
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. nail — on a finger

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