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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: swing · lash · wound · fine · pitch · saw · leaves · pound

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. swing — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fine — high quality
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — completely
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — a weight

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