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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: mug · chair · kick · plane · game · content · snap · rule

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mug — a cup
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. kick — in football
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rule — government
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. snap — to click
  14. mug — a face
  15. game — a match
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. content — happy
  18. rule — a law
  19. plane — a tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. mug — to rob
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — a kind of play

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