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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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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: fork · squash · safe · lash · row · stick · pitch · bat

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pitch — completely
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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