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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — help
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pit — in a race
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lie — to recline
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pit — a hole

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