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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: rash · calf · nail · kick · lean · straw · march · rule

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — thin
  7. rash — a series
  8. rule — government
  9. march — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to bend
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kick — in football
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rule — a law
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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