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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. sharp — clever
  8. board — a committee
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mate — a friend
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — to get on
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rush — hurry
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mate — to breed
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. sharp — with an edge

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