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

Word bank: rush · pit · rule · rock · game · bat · pound · kick

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. kick — in football
  10. rock — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rule — government
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rush — hurry

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