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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. kick — in football
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — government
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kick — with a leg

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