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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · lean · mate · cold · pitch · lash · nail · court

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mate — a partner
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. court — of a king
  9. cold — not warm
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. court — for sport
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mate — a friend
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lean — thin
  22. mate — to breed
  23. court — of law
  24. jam — in traffic

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