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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cue — a signal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — a path
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — a song
  19. cue — a hint
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitch — completely
  24. roll — a list

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