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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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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: ball · rule · nail · kid · saw · fall · cold · kick

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fall — the season
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — a law
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rule — government
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — child
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kick — in football
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kick — a thrill

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