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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. march — music
  5. land — a country
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitch — completely
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. land — ground
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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