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

Word bank: pitch · lash · bowl · roll · cell · pound

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. roll — a list
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bowl — a dish

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