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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: swing · pitch · coach · drill · fall · key · wax · lash

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. swing — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — in music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — army training
  18. swing — to play on
  19. key — for a lock
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fall — the season
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. swing — in golf
  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