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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. squash — to crush
  3. court — for sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lean — thin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. court — of a king
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. squash — the sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — of law
  24. lash — to lash out

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