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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: rush · vault · kid · pop · kick · rule · court · wave

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. vault — a safe
  9. court — for sport
  10. rule — a law
  11. court — of a king
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. court — of law
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kick — in football
  17. pop — to visit
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pop — soda

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