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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kick — in football
  7. rest — what's left
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — a country
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rest — a break

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