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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kick — in football
  4. last — final
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rash — hasty
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitch — completely
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — finally

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