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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. board — to get on
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rule — a law
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bat — the animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — child
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rule — government
  17. degree — an amount
  18. board — a committee
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitch — completely

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