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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. kick — in football
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fork — in a road
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. shower — rain

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