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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · rule · land · net · date · mate · kid · arm

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. land — to come down
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — to breed
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — child
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rule — government
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — after costs
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. net — for catching
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — ground
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rule — a law

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