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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. staff — employees
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. shower — rain
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cold — not warm
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — an illness

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