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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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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 · rush · calf · fan · ground · rule · saw · clip

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rule — a law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — hurry
  15. clip — a video
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fan — a supporter

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