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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rule — a law
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rest — a break
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fall — the season
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rule — government
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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