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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cold — not warm
  10. court — of law
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cold — an illness

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