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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: kick · rule · charge · spring · mark · mate · deal · club

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. charge — a price
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spring — the season
  5. mate — to breed
  6. club — for golf
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — a group
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kick — in football
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rule — a law
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. club — for dancing
  24. spring — of water

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