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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — an amount
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rush — hurry
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. degree — from a university
  24. nail — on a finger

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