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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. net — in sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. net — after costs
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — a law
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rule — government
  16. net — for catching
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. clip — for paper
  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