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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hand — help
  5. land — a country
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitch — completely
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. land — ground

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