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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rule — government
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. object — to protest
  7. rule — a law
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — for sport
  12. object — a thing
  13. current — electric
  14. object — an aim
  15. field — a subject
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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