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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fall — the season
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — to breed
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lash — to lash out

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