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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 120 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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spring — the season
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — of water
  8. pop — soda
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. last — finally
  12. pop — music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. last — final
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — a coil
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — to go on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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