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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — the season
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spring — of water
  12. rule — government
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rule — a law
  15. pit — a hole
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kick — in football
  20. cue — a hint
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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