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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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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: pitch · file · lie · band · lash · squash · board · kick

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. band — a music group
  7. file — a line of people
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. file — a document
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. board — a committee
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. file — a tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kick — in football
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lie — an untruth

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