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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rule — a law
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. deal — to handle

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