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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rash — a series
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mate — a friend
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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