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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — from a university
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. degree — temperature
  8. season — in sport
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — of the year
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rest — a break
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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