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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. field — for sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. field — farmland
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — a subject
  20. pit — a hole
  21. last — finally
  22. season — in sport
  23. last — final
  24. hide — animal skin

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