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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. saw — the tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitch — completely
  9. spring — of water
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — for catching
  12. hand — help
  13. net — in sport
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — after costs
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. hand — part of the body

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