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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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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: mate · swing · bulb · rule · coach · hand · tear · kick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — in football
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — help
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bulb — for light
  24. swing — to play on

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