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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pit — in a race
  5. present — a gift
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chest — a box
  12. present — the time now
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. game — a match
  18. present — there

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