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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. squash — the sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitch — completely
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. clip — a video
  15. rule — government
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. key — for a lock
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. key — in music
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — for paper

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