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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: rule · kick · fall · pop · bat · cell · arm · nail

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kick — in football
  3. rule — a law
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fall — the season
  10. pop — soda
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — to visit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pop — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rule — government

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