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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. net — after costs
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. court — of a king
  11. net — in sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — for catching
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitch — completely
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — in sport
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. season — of the year

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