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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: roll · land · rash · arm · cold · mate · deal · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cold — not warm
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. land — a country
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mate — to breed
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — hasty
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. land — to come down
  16. roll — a cake
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. kick — in football
  19. mate — a partner
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cold — an illness
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. roll — a list

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