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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitch — completely
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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