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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. staff — employees
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rule — government
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. club — a group
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rule — a law
  15. club — for golf
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. staff — a stick
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — to keep secret

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