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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: foot · net · kick · kid · roll · wake · arm · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. foot — a measure
  3. net — after costs
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wake — a trail
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rule — a law
  10. roll — a list
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. net — for catching
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kid — child
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kick — in football
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. net — in sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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