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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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. net — after costs
  5. track — a path
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — for catching
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. season — of the year
  11. game — a match
  12. net — in sport
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song

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