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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — all right
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. board — to get on
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lean — thin
  15. fine — high quality
  16. board — a committee
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lash — an eyelash

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