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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: cell · march · lash · can · pitch · ground · bowl · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ground — crushed
  11. march — music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — the earth

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