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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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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: lash · rush · trunk · key · mate · pitch · land · hand

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. land — a country
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. hand — help
  14. land — to come down
  15. hand — in cards
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. key — in music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — a friend
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitch — completely

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