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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: hand · row · cold · rule · kick · jam · temple · safe

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rule — a law
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. row — to paddle
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. hand — in cards
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. kick — in football
  21. row — a line
  22. hand — help
  23. rule — government
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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