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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fall — the season
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. net — after costs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rule — government
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rule — a law
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rush — a thrill

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