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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. rush — hurry
  2. content — happy
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. content — the amount
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rule — a law
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rule — government
  20. lean — thin
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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