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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: kick · kid · bat · game · plane · prune · rule · can

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — in football
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rule — a law
  13. game — a match
  14. rule — government
  15. plane — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. kid — child
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kid — to tease
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. game — wild animals

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