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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. clip — to cut
  7. present — the time now
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pit — in a race
  12. ground — a position
  13. pit — a hole
  14. ground — the earth
  15. present — there
  16. clip — a video
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ruler — for measuring

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