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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. last — final
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. present — there
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. content — happy
  12. rule — a law
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. present — the time now
  15. rash — a series
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. present — a gift
  18. last — finally
  19. rule — government
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. content — the amount
  23. last — to go on
  24. content — videos and posts

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