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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 · pitcher · swing · fall · cell · fork · date · suit

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. swing — to play on
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cell — in biology
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fall — the season
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — music
  24. date — on the calendar

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