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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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