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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pit — in a race
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. squash — the sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spring — of water
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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