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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pitch — completely
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. spring — of water
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. spring — the season

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