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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 120 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: pitcher · lash · press · arm · pitch · wound · file · fork

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a line of people
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. file — a tool
  12. press — to push
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a document
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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