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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 · craft · cold · kick · root · game · perch · bass

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bass — the fish
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. kick — in football
  11. craft — a skill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. root — of a word
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rule — a law
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. craft — boats
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  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