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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 124 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. content — the amount
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. file — a tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bound — certain
  10. current — of water
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. file — a document
  14. pit — in a race
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bound — tied together
  19. content — happy
  20. pit — a hole
  21. current — happening now
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. current — electric
  24. bound — obliged

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