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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitch — completely
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rest — what's left
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — help
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rest — a break
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. season — in sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hand — in cards
  22. net — in sport
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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