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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rule — government
  8. cap — a hat
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rule — a law
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. branch — a division
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fork — in a road
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kick — with a leg

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