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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kick — in football
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mate — a partner
  16. game — a match
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fine — all right
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — belonging to me

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