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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitch — completely
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. net — after costs
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. calf — a young animal

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