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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: rest · game · lash · wave · net · kid · jam · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. net — in sport
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kid — child
  9. net — after costs
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. kid — to tease
  12. net — for catching
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rule — a law
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rest — a break
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. game — a match
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wave — of the sea

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