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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — the amount
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

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