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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: row · ruler · net · lash · fall · fan · pitch · club

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — for catching
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. net — after costs
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. net — in sport
  24. club — a group

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