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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: racket · hand · track · cell · wind · rest · pitch · lash

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hand — help
  14. track — a path
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hand — part of the body

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