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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rule — government
  6. season — in sport
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. season — of the year
  9. object — to protest
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. row — a line
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rule — a law
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. object — a thing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kick — in football
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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