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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. object — to protest
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitch — completely
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. rule — a law
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — happy
  13. wake — a trail
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. key — in music
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. object — a thing
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. content — the amount
  24. wake — before a funeral

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