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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: drill · wake · court · rule · mate · calf · lash · deal

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — government
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. court — for sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rule — a law
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — a trail
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. drill — army training
  17. court — of law
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. drill — a practice
  24. deal — to handle

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