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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. net — for catching
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. track — to keep track
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. net — after costs
  14. saw — the tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. net — in sport
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. cold — not warm
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. temple — a place of worship

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