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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mate — a partner
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bass — low music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitch — completely
  16. shower — rain
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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