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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rash — a series
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rule — a law
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. court — for sport
  12. rule — government
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. court — of a king
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. court — of law
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. sharp — exactly

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