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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rule — a law
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — employees
  7. swing — to play on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitch — completely
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. swing — music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rock — music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — in golf
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. staff — employees
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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