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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitch — completely
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. land — to come down
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — a country
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — government
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. land — ground
  22. tube — a container
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — of the year

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