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

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitch — completely
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spring — the season
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rule — government
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — a law
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. hand — help
  20. row — a line
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a quarrel

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