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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rock — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — a law
  10. rest — a break
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. staff — a stick
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rule — government
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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