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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · lash · squash · present · pit · pitcher · roll · mine

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. march — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. march — the month
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pit — in a race
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. squash — the sport
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. roll — a cake
  23. present — there
  24. lash — an eyelash

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