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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: kick · rule · jam · temple · mate · racket · land · perch

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. land — to come down
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mate — to breed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — a country
  16. mate — a friend
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rule — government
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. kick — in football
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. jam — in traffic

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