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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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. saw — the tool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. net — for catching
  8. swing — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. swing — to play on
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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