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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. shower — rain
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pitch — completely
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — a series
  17. object — a thing
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pit — a hole
  21. object — to protest
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. object — an aim

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