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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. charge — a price
  11. object — a thing
  12. mate — a partner
  13. charge — in control
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hand — help
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rush — hurry

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