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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — after costs
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — ground
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cue — a hint
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mate — a partner
  14. land — to come down
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. land — a country
  19. mate — a friend
  20. season — in sport
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. net — for catching

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