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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. court — of law
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mug — to rob
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — for sport
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a face
  21. pitch — completely
  22. court — of a king
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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