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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. present — the time now
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — a match
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. present — there
  19. pitch — completely
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. present — a gift
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — a straw man

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