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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 · drill · fine · mine · bat · pitch · pitcher · bark

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fine — all right
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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