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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bark — to shout
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — in sport
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — completely
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — the fish

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