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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — employees
  18. club — for golf
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — a group
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rash — hasty
  24. hand — part of the body

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