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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bore — to drill
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pit — a hole
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — to cut

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