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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: bay · rush · court · kid · chest · dip · game · rule

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. game — a match
  4. rule — a law
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rule — government
  7. kid — child
  8. court — for sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. game — wild animals
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rush — hurry
  15. dip — to sink
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — to tease

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