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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. land — to come down
  5. bound — certain
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — to confront
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — in sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pass — a permit
  20. season — of the year
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. face — part of the head

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