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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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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: cell · game · lash · pitch · bank · last · row · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. last — to go on
  3. row — a line
  4. bank — of a river
  5. row — to paddle
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — in biology
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — final
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. last — finally
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. shower — to wash
  24. game — wild animals

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