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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: court · kick · rest · pit · rash · rock · mate · rule

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rest — a break
  8. rule — a law
  9. kick — in football
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rock — a stone
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rest — what's left

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