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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 120 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: kick · club · rush · game · nail · court · wave · rule

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. club — a group
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rule — government
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rush — hurry
  11. court — of a king
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. game — a match
  14. club — for dancing
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. club — for golf
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rule — a law
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — in football

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