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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — soda
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pop — music
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rash — a series

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