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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cell — in biology
  3. land — ground
  4. rock — music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rock — a stone
  8. file — a document
  9. land — a country
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cell — a phone
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rule — government
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kick — in football
  21. deal — to handle
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — to come down
  24. rule — to rule out

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