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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — a break
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. spell — letters
  12. rule — government
  13. spell — magic
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. field — for sport
  18. rule — a law
  19. fall — the season
  20. mug — a face
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — to rob
  23. field — farmland
  24. pitch — a sports field

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