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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. present — there
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — help
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mate — to breed
  19. season — in sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. present — the time now
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. saw — the tool

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