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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rest — a break
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rule — government
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rock — music
  12. rule — a law
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — a stone
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. content — happy
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. snap — to click
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rest — what's left

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