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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. suit — clothes
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kick — in football
  13. last — finally
  14. spring — the season
  15. last — final
  16. suit — to fit
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. last — to go on
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ruler — for measuring

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