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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. branch — a division
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. swing — music
  10. pitch — completely
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fine — high quality
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. swing — to play on
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — all right
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. branch — of a bank

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