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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 124 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rule — government
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rule — a law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cue — a hint
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  24. pitch — completely

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