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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: leaves · snap · lash · chest · wind · fine · pitch · squash

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. snap — to click
  16. fine — high quality
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fine — all right
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. squash — the vegetable

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