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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: wound · kid · game · kick · rule · deal · club · mate

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rule — government
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. club — for golf
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — to breed
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — to handle
  18. club — a group
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rule — a law
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kid — child
  24. game — a match

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