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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — for sport
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. swing — in golf
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. court — of law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — hurry
  15. court — of a king
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — moving air
  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