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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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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: pit · swing · hide · row · wave · court · lash · sharp

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. row — a line
  4. sharp — clever
  5. swing — music
  6. court — for sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. court — of law
  16. pit — a hole
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pit — in a race
  22. court — of a king
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. sharp — exactly

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