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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitch — completely
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — a law
  12. can — a tin
  13. rule — government
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — the amount
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. content — happy
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. kick — in football

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