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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: safe · mine · rule · kick · game · rash · capital · pit

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rash — hasty
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rule — government
  9. rash — a series
  10. rule — a law
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. capital — money
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. game — a match
  19. capital — a city
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pit — a hole
  22. game — wild animals
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kick — in football

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