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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — a law
  6. march — the month
  7. rule — government
  8. march — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — for catching
  15. ball — a dance
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kick — in football
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ball — a round shape

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