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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bat — the animal
  9. kick — in football
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. land — a country
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. land — ground
  21. suit — to fit
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. land — to come down
  24. bat — in an idiom

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