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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bat — in an idiom

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