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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.

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: wound · bat · lie · lash · bear · rush · pitch · chair

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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