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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · pitch · rule · stick · spring · file

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. kick — in football
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. file — a tool
  12. rule — government
  13. file — a document
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — a coil

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