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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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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: lash · snap · pitch · chest · toast · band · drill · rash

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rash — hasty
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. drill — army training
  22. rash — a series
  23. chest — of your body
  24. drill — the tool

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