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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: snap · rash · fork · row · rush · hand · pitch · pound

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. snap — to click
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fork — in a road
  5. row — to paddle
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. hand — in cards
  19. row — a line
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — a weight
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. hand — help

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