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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. last — final
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mug — to rob
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — completely
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — after costs
  23. last — finally
  24. lash — an eyelash

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