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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: cue · spring · rule · deal · fine · kick · last · pit

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. last — finally
  4. spring — the season
  5. kick — in football
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. last — final
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rule — government
  13. spring — a coil
  14. last — to go on
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cue — a hint
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fine — all right
  22. cue — for pool
  23. spring — of water
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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