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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — of the year
  5. rule — government
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rule — a law
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. plane — a tool
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ground — a position
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ground — crushed

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