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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: last · pop · kick · rule · safe · wind · lean · pit

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — government
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pop — music
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. last — finally
  17. pit — a hole
  18. last — final
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. kick — in football
  21. last — to go on
  22. rule — a law
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lean — thin

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