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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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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: last · stick · court · game · rule · safe · lash · hide

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. last — finally
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. game — a match
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. court — of law
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — to go on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — final
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rule — government
  24. game — wild animals

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